A Discourse on Moms, Fledgling Writers, and Faith

BSF Study Questions Matthew Lesson 4, Day 2: Matthew 4:1-11

Summary of passage: Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. He fasted for 40 days and nights and the tempter told him to turn stones to bread. Jesus said he only needed the word of God to live. The tempter took him to the highest point of the temple and told him to jump. Jesus said not to test God.

The devil offered him to rule the world if he only would worship him. Jesus told him to go away for only God deserves to be worshipped. Angels came to him afterwards.

Questions:

3a) The desert. To be tempted.

b) Personal Question. My answer: To share in our humanity, to become merciful and a faithful high priest in service to God so that he might make atonement for the sins of people. Because he suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted. It encourages me because I know how much God loves us. He didn’t need to be tempted for he understood us, His creation, completely. But God sent Jesus to become man for our benefit–so we would more fully believe in Him. So we would have an example of how to defeat the devil. So that we could identify with him. And so we could see Jesus’ holiness.

Jesus used a weapon we all can use–God’s word.

4a) Eve was almost immediately blinded by the things of this world: how good the fruit was and how pleasing to the eye it was and also her desire for wisdom. She lost track of the things of God’s world, which at that point was His word since Adam and Eve lived in Paradise, and also God’s character and who He was.

Jesus never forgot who God was. He used God’s words against the devil as defense. He didn’t care for the kingdoms of this world for his eye was fixed on the kingdoms of God’s world.

b) Differences: Jesus used God’s words against the devil. Eve had no defense in essence. She believed the devil over God. Adam and Eve tested God’s words; Jesus didn’t. Eve gave into lust of the eyes, flesh, and pride. Jesus did not.

Similarities: The serpent/devil was equally crafty and deceptive. He tried to plant doubt of God in both Eve’s mind and Jesus’. The devil was in physical form. Both had a personal relationship with God and both had the same weapons available.

Conclusions: Very similar to a lesson in Genesis last year (see Lesson HERE) where we were asked the exact same question with regards to Jesus.

Take away: God loves us so much He allows us to be tempted so that we may turn to Him in faith.

Martin Luther once said that prayer, meditation, and temptation are the best instructors of God’s word. Because in it we learn who He is.

We also see 40 days and nights in Noah and the Flood and the Israelites wandering in the wilderness.

Satan quotes God’s word as well but he twists it and leaves out important phrases. It’s our job to know God’s word so we do not fall into the trap of twisted lies.

We will all face temptation. But it is a sin when we give in. The devil cannot win against us if we use God’s word as a weapon. It is too powerful. Through Jesus we know we can defeat the devil’s tactics.